TheSpark

Episode 9 - 26 April 2018

A change is going to come

A story for our age, Tagrid Ceric was driven from her native Bosnia in difficult circumstances. Forced to make a new start on her own, it was a great transition into what she teaches now: transition. As a Change Manager, she helps others make peace with one of life's great constants – change.

“After some time you think, I want to explore a little bit more. Different companies, different cultures, different ways of working, different mentalities,” says Tagrid.

Working abroad is a fascinating opportunity. For about a year. Around that time, it stops feeling like you’re ‘abroad’ and just feels like you’re working. But Tagrid found that, at Philips, she could be constantly engaging with other cultures, no matter where her desk was.

“I can’t be static. It’s not in my nature to do the same work for years and years and years.”

Tagrid says that exploring different industries and mentalities is why, after working as a project manager in her former company, she chose a career at Philips.

“Every single project was different, and then you get to work on a different topic, you get to work with the different people, you always experience something new.”

In a career, some things change

Tagrid’s a Change Manager. And she’s an ideal one, because she sees both sides of the equation; the fear of change, even positive change, and the excitement and potential of new opportunities.

She wasn’t always keen on changes, and has her share of hardships because of them, but Tagrid has learned from them to be both compassionate and courageous. Those two qualities may be at odds, but Tagrid teaches us how they even out.

Supporting one of life's great constants: Tagrid helps people deal with, and ultimately accept, change.

“I think what my life taught me is to be happy and enjoy every single moment that you have, because no one can give you a guarantee that it’s going to last for a long time.”

Because Tagrid’s work is interpersonal, she can draw on her resources for it. In this sense, she draws on her years of work experience as well as a lifetime of lived experience. She knows how hard change can be, and how much courage it can take to look towards the future without blinking. But she’s determined to make the jump.

“If I live, then it’s going to be a proper living, so it’s not going to be in between,” she states.

“There is no guarantee that we are going to have tomorrow, right?”

A proper living, for Tagrid, is one constantly engaged with the myriad cultures that converge at Philips, and helping them adjust to the changes of a new age.

A career in change, as she sees it, means opportunity and innovation. This is where she sees the future of health, and we at Philips are inclined to agree.

How did Tagrid change her own life and career? Read her 5 tips for success:

Build a strong network

Build a strong team

Be adaptive to change when it comes your way

Display eagerness to learn new facets of your job and the organization

Follow your passion

Play

Listen to the podcast to hear Tagrid’s story, including change management today, her former life, and why her dad’s her hero.

If you’re looking for a change from your current role, why not start a career that inspires you? Check out the career opportunities at Philips.